I will defend my setup.
The standard setup on the 272 is no stronger, it just uses the clutch. Any setup can use a winch to augment. Here are a couple ideas I use.
1. Reef until you can control your sail. Or lower the main! If you think you should reef, you are already late.
2. Take the load off your sail before hauling your main to windward. If you wanna haul 1,000 lbs to windward using a clutch and winch, you will eventually break a shackle, break a sheave, and it will happen under load. That is never cool. I am cruising and daysailing. I unload my rig. It takes a few seconds to head up or bear off a few degrees, haul the sail, and resume your heading. Are we really in that big a hurry?
3. If you wanna use the winch, use the winch. In most winds, the 4:1 is more than adequate. If not... You should consider reducing sail.
Above 15 kts in a 272, you need to be reefed sailing to windward because the 272 will be heeled 20 or more degrees. That is slower. Above 20kts, you should be double reefed or lower the mainsail if you cannot control it. Also, above 20 kts, should you really be out in a 272? This is not a heavy boat! She is tender and heels readily. Further, her rig is a daysailing / cruising rig, not a blue water rig.
The setup I am using is not inadequate for what I am doing and how I do it. It allows me to do the same thing as the original if I want.
If you want a heavier setup, get a heavier setup. But you should not need it if you sail with a couple ideas in mind.
I think the philosophy here is sound: sail the boat you have under you to preserve that boat, the sail, and the equipment.
Maybe if I were racing or trying to constantly deal with 20kt winds, I would set it up to always use the winch, but it is adequate for my purposes and adequate for the majority of purposes with a few simple protocols.
Additionally, this setup is designed by Harken in the midsize boat range, bigger than the 272. Harken actually recommends smaller blocks for 28' and under.
